Ranking Tournament

Roar!

Then a roar from antiquity rang out, and Drake instantly transformed into a gigantic Allosaurus.

The Allosaurus raised a fist high and slammed it toward the instrument with astonishing speed.

Thud!

Its claw was like a giant hammer, crashing against the instrument like it was a bronze gong and producing a deafening boom.

The number on the Doriki Value instrument began to jump, then slowly came to a stop at 1,200.

"Are you kidding me?"

"How is that possible!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I thought the minimum Doriki Value for graduating from the Elite Camp was 1,000. Is he really a rookie?"

"In that case... does Drake already qualify to become an officer?"

"Exactly. If Drake passes the Elite Camp graduation assessment, he can become at least a Marine Headquarters lieutenant commander. And with Military Merit and the like, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become a Marine Headquarters colonel!"

The audience erupted into an uproar. Countless spectators were dazzled by Drake's display.

Even Sengoku, seated on the highest platform, gave an almost imperceptible nod, seemingly quite pleased with Drake.

Drake wore a smug look. His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Luo Sa at the very back of the group. The challenge in his eyes was plain to see.

Luo Sa met Drake's gaze, his expression turning grave. A Doriki Value of 1,200—among CP9 ten years from now, only the three strongest could beat him!

He truly was one of the Supernovas of the future. Even now, he was already displaying such tremendous potential.

After Drake stepped down, rookie after rookie went up to take the test, but their results were all fairly average.

The later someone's turn came, the less time they had spent training since enlisting. It was only natural that they couldn't compare with the more seasoned rookies who had gone before them.

After one rookie stepped down in disappointment, Smoker—the monster of this Elite Camp Assessment—finally took the stage.

"Who do you think is stronger, Smoker or Drake?"

"If we're only comparing Doriki Value, Drake is definitely stronger. But in a real fight, Smoker would have the edge!"

A spectator with a powerful presence spoke up, and everyone agreed.

The result bore that out. Smoker scored 1,000, just enough to meet the Elite Camp graduation standard.

However, that was mainly because the Smoke-Smoke Fruit didn't offer much of an advantage when it came to offense.

After Smoker, Hina, who had enlisted in the same batch, took the test. Her final score was 260.

That score put her among the top female soldiers, making her much stronger than most of the male soldiers as well.

As time passed, almost everyone had been tested. Only Luo Sa remained.

"Ahahaha, that's my grandson! That's my grandson!"

When Luo Sa finally took the stage, Garp immediately burst into laughter, spraying doughnut crumbs everywhere.

"Hmph. I want to see just how strong he is to warrant us making an exception for him!" Akainu gave a cold snort.

As soon as Luo Sa stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted into another uproar.

After Sakartam had let the information slip here and there, many people knew Luo Sa's identity, as well as the fact that he'd entered the New Recruit Camp by irregular means.

After Sakartam's embellishments, everyone had formed a poor impression of Luo Sa.

"A little runt like him managed to pass the Survival Trial? I guess this Elite Camp Assessment isn't worth much either!"

"Exactly. I also heard he deliberately killed someone during the Survival Trial, but Vice Admiral Garp used his authority to suppress the matter!"

"We'll get a better idea when we see his Doriki Value. Surely Vice Admiral Garp can't reach quite that far, right?!"

"Who knows!"

As Luo Sa walked onto the stage, his ears twitched. He furrowed his brows, anger rising in his heart.

He could ignore the rumors directed at him, but anything aimed at Grandpa Garp touched a nerve.

He discreetly glanced up at Garp, whose expression had darkened as well, then slowly closed his eyes. Sakartam, I hope I don't run into you. If I do...

Then he looked up at the Doriki Value instrument in front of him and clenched his fists.

Since you all want to see what I can do, I'll show you!

"Rookie Luo Sa, begin your test," the instructor said flatly, glancing at him.

In his experience, the rookies at the bottom of the rankings were never promising. He was just going through the motions and wanted to get it over with.

Luo Sa gave the instructor a slight nod and walked up to the Doriki Value instrument.

"Winged Gull Half-Beastman form!"

To the astonishment of the audience, Luo Sa transformed into a birdman.

Flapping his wings rapidly, Luo Sa took to the sky. He wheeled around in midair, then suddenly plunged downward.

"Peck!"

The Flying Attribute energy within him surged, turning into a flash of white light at the tip of the Winged Gull's beak.

"Then, Swallow Return!"

His energy surged again, and the Winged Gull's speed abruptly increased.

Just as the Winged Gull was about to collide with the Doriki Value instrument, his figure suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already behind it.

"Huh? He missed?"

"Ahahaha, that display scared me for a moment. I didn't expect him to be all show and no substance!"

The audience began to jeer. From where they stood, all they'd seen was Luo Sa fly straight past the instrument.

They had no idea that Luo Sa had completed a diving attack before soaring back into the sky.

What else could that be but a complete miss?

"Rookie Luo Sa, you can attack one more time. Try not to miss this time!"

The instructor looked a little impatient and cursed under his breath. No wonder this rookie was at the bottom of the rankings.

"Get down, you disgrace!"

Suddenly, Momonga gave a cold snort, shoved the instructor aside, and walked up to the instrument.

The next moment, Momonga's eyes widened. His face filled with disbelief.

"Rookie Luo Sa, Doriki Value: 1,500!!!"

The instructor sensed that something was wrong and hurried over. When he saw the result, his face turned incredulous and he cried out in shock.

"What?"

"1,500 Doriki!!!"

In an instant, the entire audience erupted. Every face was filled with disbelief!

"What kind of joke is this?!"

"That's impossible!"

"Right, it must be because of Vice Admiral Garp. Someone tampered with the instrument!"

"Exactly! There's something fishy going on, and it's huge!"

The spectators began arguing, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Are you questioning me?"

Momonga suddenly roared. His gaze was as sharp as lightning, and the crowd fell silent at once.

"Hmph!"

"The Doriki Value test is now over. I'll announce the results. The top fifty, come here to collect your rank plaques. Everyone else may leave!"